Lost Girl
by ebonytigger
Summary: A girl is returned into care after being fostered out by another care home. Why do all her foster homes fail her and can The Dumping Ground help her find her forever home?
1. The Beginning

I heard them yelling at each other again and pulled the duvet over my head. I often wondered what they chose to fight about. Was it my fault? I remembered they always blamed me for my sister's suicide three years ago. I'd been the one to walk into my sister's bedroom and find her lying down on the bed, taking her last breath. I knew that the bullies had killed my sister but could never prove it and been labelled a "troublemaker" and "insane" for thinking it.

We had both been taken into care ten years ago when I'd been only five years old. My sister had been three years old. Our mother had walked out with her new boyfriend and left us in the house on our own with no heating or lighting for nearly a week before anyone had even known our mum had gone.

I haven't introduced myself, my name is Elizabeth but everyone calls me Ellie. My sister's name was Melanie but everyone called her Mel.

I peeked out from beneath the covers to watch as the door opened. My foster dad stood in the doorway watching me.

"Come on, out of bed" he said and dragged the covers off me. "I'm taking you to a place that will help you"

Ten minutes later and I was bundled into the car and my foster dad drove me and my suitcase away. I spent the journey looking at the scars on my arms and wondering where he was taking me.


	2. The Dumping Ground

The car pulled up outside a large house. I hadn't been to this particular house before but I knew the type from our stupid social worker dumping both me and my sister there several years ago, before my sister's death. My foster dad made me get my suitcase out.

"I'm leaving you here, neither me nor your mum can cope with your issues any more" he told me.

"OK fine leave me again just like everyone else always has" I yelled at him, before getting invited inside by my new social worker and the new carers.

As I entered the house, I saw three faces gazing down at me from the stairs.

"Piss off and stop staring at me you morons" I yelled at them before the new carers bundled me into a room, where they left me and took my foster dad into their office. I sighed and gazed out of the window. My thoughts flew back to my sister and all the happy times we'd had together.

"Why did you have to leave me" I asked quietly as the tears ran down my face.


	3. Old Fatso and Boring Old Fart

I heard the door opening again after what felt like hours. In reality it was only about half an hour (as I found out when they let me out). I saw the large carer in the doorway, watching me.

"Piss off old fatso" I shouted at him, not caring if they left me in there for longer. I was determined to make everyone hate me like all the other places had so it would be easy for me to run away again like I had the night my sister died.

The social worker came in past him and said "Ellie, I know you're upset at coming back into care but that's no way to talk to the staff here"

As she said that, I heard old fatso leaving to go back into the kitchen. The social worker took me out of that room and took me upstairs to show me my room, where my suitcase had already been put.

Five minutes later and I was unpacking my stuff when the door opened again and a kid was stood in the doorway.

"I heard you called Duke old fatso and called Elaine a boring old fart" the kid said admiringly. "Everyone here calls her Elaine the Pain"

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Tracy Beaker" the kid told me.


	4. Tracy Beaker

"What's your name?" Tracy asked me.

"Ellie" I responded.

"So why did you get dumped here?" I asked Tracy Beaker.

"My mum has this amazing career as an actress and she travelled around a lot so stupid social services dragged me away from Mum. She fought to get me back but they said she's not allowed because she's so famous" Tracy bragged. "Why are you here?" she asked me.

"Dad dumped my mum and left her because he didn't want a family so I came into care then I got dumped by foster families because they all decided they didn't want us" I answered her.

A shout came across the hallway.

"THAT TRACY BEAKER I AM GOING TO KILL HER!"

Tracy sighed. "That's Justine Littlebrain shouting."

"Why's she shouting about you?" I asked.

"Because she broke her clock again and wants to blame me" she answered. "I better go before Jenny comes and has a go"

Tracy then left the room and disappeared down the stairs and away.

I could hear a woman trying to calm down a girl. I sighed and went to see what was happening.


	5. Justine Littlebrain

As I walked into the room where the girl who Tracy had said was called Justine Littlebrain was, I heard her wailing at the woman with her.

"But my dad bought me that" she wailed.

The woman sighed "I'll have another word with Tracy"

"Who are you?" Justine Littlebrain suddenly asked me.

"I'm Ellie, I just got dumped in this hellhole again" I answered. "I've already met Tracy so I know who you are"

"Don't tell me - she's changed my surname again" shouted Justine, as the woman left us to it while she went to find Tracy.

"So what's your real surname then?" I asked. "Tracy said it was Littlebrain"

"It's not Littlebrain it's LittleWOOD" Justine informed me.

Just then another kid walked in. "Has anyone seen Tracy?" he asked.

"No Peter now hop it you little weed" snapped Justine.

I saw Peter turn to leave. "Don't go" I called, then ran after him.

_Author's note: O_O does Ellie have a crush on Peter? Find out next time right here :)_


	6. Never a dull moment

_Author Note: This chapter is specially for _**Linneagb** _my faithful reviewer_

I saw Peter disappearing back into his room. He gently closed the door, with an air of deep sadness about him.

I walked up to his door and gently knocked. "Who is it?" Peter asked.

"It's Ellie" I responded.

"Come in" he sniffed.

"Sorry about Justine upsetting you" I apologised.

He sat on his bed still looking very upset, so I walked over and put my arm round him.

"Want to be friends?" I asked, then pulled Peter into a hug.

We heard a loud BANG then shouting downstairs.

"Never a dull moment in this hellhole" I said, as we stood up to go and see what all the noise was about.


	7. Justine's Clock

As we went down the stairs, we saw a tall man bringing Tracy back in and lecturing her about breaking other prople's things.

"But Mike I didn't break her stupid clock" Tracy protested.

"Oh so you admit it" the lady who'd been trying to calm Justine down said.

"That's Mike and Jenny" whispered Peter to me.

"Tracy Beaker you are grounded for the next fortnight" Jenny told her sternly.

Tracy bit her lip then stormed off upstairs yelling "I hate you all".

Peter looked at me and said "Do you want to come and help me with my life book?"

"Is the life book that stupid thing that they made me do in the previous care home I was in?" I asked.

"I'll show you" answered Peter and fetched his life book. We sat down together going through his life book, which was very similar to the stupid thing me and my sister had done in the old don't-care-home.

We'd just finished getting Peter's book up to date when old fatso (or Duke as I should call him) shouted it was dinner time.


	8. Slimy green stuff

"Last one to the table gets the burnt bits" Duke shouted up the stairs. I followed Peter into the dining room and made sure I sat next to him.

"Ooh Ellie and Peter sitting in a tree" Justine teased.

"Eww said some of the others, but that may be because Duke served up slimy green stuff.

"What is that?" I asked giving the slimy stuff a poke with my fork.

"It's spinach" answered Duke. "Come on, eat it up it's good for you"

I waited until Duke wasn't looking then secreyly tipped it under the table. The other kids saw me and followed suit, so there was suddenly a lot of slimy green stuff all over the floor.

Tracy then had an idea. "Get all of it over here" she whispered. "I'll flush it down the toilet"

The phone rang and Duke ran to answer it, leaving Tracy clear to take all the slimy green stuff to the bathroom and get rid of it.


	9. I Do Know What A Bathroom Is

Duke came back into the kitchen about thirty seconds after Tracy managed to get sat back at the table. She whispered across to the rest of us "one of you go to the toilet - there's still some slimy green stuff to get rid of because the toilet wouldn't flush"

"I'll go" I whispered back.

"Can I be excused for a few minutes?" I asked.

"Sure, off you go" Duke responded. "You sure you know where it is?"

"I do know what a bathroom looks like" I retorted.

Just as I got down the hallway, I head Duke raise his voice.

"Jenny! Mike!" Duke shouted. Jenny and Mike then rushed to the kitchen. I entered the bathroom and found the toilet had got clogged up with slimy green stuff. I quickly grabbed the brush and forced the slimy green stuff down the pipe, flushed the toilet then ran the sink tap to wash the slimy green stuff off the brush to prevent any of the care workers getting suspicious.

I walked back to the kitchen, to find Tracy getting bundled into the Quiet Room, screaming bad words at Justine.


	10. Peter's Leaving?

"We have some news for you all" announced Mike, just as we finished dinner. "Haven't we, Peter?"

Peter nodded. "I'm getting fostered" he said quietly.

"You can't get fostered" I protested and ran out of the room in tears.

Mike followed me up to my room. "Hey kiddo" he said "everyone leaves here eventually and you don't even know Peter all that well"

"I do know him" I sobbed. "His parents and my mum knew each other"

Peter then peeked round the doorway. "Sorry Ellie I didn't mean to upset you" he apologised.

"It's okay" I said quietly. "Just as we got reunited, someone decides to take you away again"

We both hugged each other. "I'm here for one more night" Peter told me.

Mike said "Hey, come on, lets go back downstairs" but both of us ignored him.


	11. Peter's Departure

I woke up the following morning disorientated, because I was expecting to find myself back at home and with my sister. I sat up suddenly, remembering that Peter was going today.

I got up quickly and went through to find him. He was packing his stuff when I went into his room.

"My foster family phoned up a few minutes ago, they're collecting me now and are on their way" Peter told me.

I threw my arms round him. "I'll miss you Peter" I said.

"I'll miss you too" Peter admitted. "I'd rather we went together but I don't think the foster family want two kids"

"I'll be okay" I told him.

There was a knock on Peter's bedroom door. Peter opened it and Mike was there.

"Are you ready to go Peter? They're here" he said.

Peter nodded.

"I'll help you carry your stuff if you want Peter" I offered.

"Thanks" Peter said shyly. We walked downstairs together and hugged near the door.

"Promise me you'll keep in touch" I said. Peter gave me his new address so I could write to him, before his new foster parents took him away.


	12. The Quiet Room

I went over to the window and sat down by it watching Peter leave. Tracy came and sat near me.

"It'll be okay" she said. "I've watched many kids leave, I'll see you leave. I'll be here forever, you won't. You don't have behavioural problems."

I sighed. "This is the end of the line for me, I've heard about these places. Once you get dumped here it means no one wants you any more. It's like a prison"

I then picked stuff up and threw them round the room.

Mike came in just as I threw a cushion at the door. It hit him straight in the face.

Tracy laughed. "Nice shot Ellie"

Before I knew it, Tracy was told off for encouraging my bad behaviour and I was bundled into the Quiet Room.

I found a piece of glass in the corner of the room, obviously something had been broken and the piece of glass had been missed.

I sat there looking at it for a while, thinking about the day's events. I felt the tears starting to flow again, just before the door opened.


	13. Escape

"You can come out now kiddo" Mike said to me, poking his head round the door.

As I came out of the room, I decided I had had enough of being pushed around by adults.

"Who needs them?" I thought to myself. I decided to wait until night time before making a run for it.

I went into the dining room to make sure I had some lunch so I wasn't running away on an empty stomach. Duke had made loads of sandwiches so I had some of them before going upstairs, pretending to be unpacking my stuff.

Jenny followed me upstairs, but she was going to see Justine and Louise about something I think.

I saw my chance to escape, all the adults were busy with something else so I climbed out of my bedroom window, climbed down the wall with my bag, ran to the gate, climbed over it and was away before they even realised I wasn't in my room.

I ran and ran until I felt I couldn't run any more, before finding an old run-down building with a leaky roof that didn't look occupied and decided I'd better rest up in there. I threw my bag in through the gap and squeezed in, before curling up in the corner hoping no one had followed me.


End file.
